Chapter 378 - 376: Blind Date, a Meal Shill?

"This is a thing? I’ve only ever heard of bar shills who get you to buy drinks. There are restaurant shills, too?"

Cecilia Sterling was stunned. She could understand if this kind of scheme existed years ago, but this was the age of the internet where all information was transparent. How could a restaurant still dare to use dual menus?

"At the end of the day, restaurant shills and bar shills are the same thing."

Dual menus had always been around; it’s just that most people weren’t unlucky enough to encounter them. Tourist-trap restaurants were a hotbed for this scam, with news stories exposing them every year.

"Let’s listen and see what’s going on first," Cecilia Sterling said, looking at Saul Thorne.

He just gave a slight nod. Neither of them had an impetuous personality, and both were remaining calm.

A short while later, John Lawson returned. The woman across from him offered a faint smile. With her glistening eyes, ruby lips, and enchanting glances, she was truly full of charm.

"Is everything ordered?"

"It is. Do you want to add anything?"

"No need. Just order whatever you like." John Lawson spoke with a gentle elegance. His overall demeanor made it clear he was a well-educated man.

He was also a Lorcain resident with a respectable job, his own home, and a stable income. A man like him was highly sought-after on the matchmaking market.

"You know about my situation, right?" John Lawson asked, looking at her cautiously.

"I do. I just wanted to ask, your job as a counselor—it’s a tenured position, right?"

John Lawson nodded. "Yes, it is. You don’t have to worry about that."

"That’s good." The woman smiled brightly, sitting with graceful poise. "I’m not asking for much else. I just want some stability."

A hesitant look appeared on John Lawson’s face. His lips moved for a moment before he spoke. "Actually, what I wanted to ask was, do you fully understand my health situation?"

"What situation? What’s wrong with your health?"

"I have a rare disease. I have to take medication for the rest of my life."

"It’s not terminal, is it?"

"No, it’s not... As long as I’m careful, it’s not life-threatening."

The woman feigned a hesitant expression, her performance completely flawless. As a highly educated man, John Lawson didn’t notice anything unusual about her either.

Even Cecilia Sterling, who was secretly listening in, thought it just seemed like a normal blind date.

"Could we have gotten it wrong?"

Cecilia Sterling asked in a low voice, afraid they’d made some kind of silly mistake.

Saul Thorne, who was busy peeling a shrimp for her, heard this and casually turned his head to look at her with a smile. "Let’s eat first. With this kind of thing, they don’t show their true colors until it’s time to pay the bill."

During the process, the scammer definitely had to build up enough trust with John Lawson to make him willingly fork over the money when the bill came.

The rest of their conversation revolved around a deep-dive discussion of their personal situations. The woman was clearly experienced. Her speech was poised, her every frown and smile was perfectly timed, and she acted exceptionally well-read and reasonable, which gave John Lawson an excellent first impression of her.

The woman also ordered a bottle of baijiu. They drank and chatted, getting along splendidly.

"I was wondering, what’s your impression of me?"

Finally, John Lawson asked tentatively, unable to hide the apprehension and anticipation in his voice and eyes.

It was obvious he was very much hoping to see her again.

"Your qualifications are excellent, of course. You’re learned and knowledgeable, and you’re very handsome. To be honest, I’ve met a few other men recently, and I’m most satisfied with you."

As she spoke, the woman revealed a shy, reserved smile, lowered her head slightly to a forty-five-degree angle, and said softly, "It’s just that my own circumstances are a bit too ordinary compared to yours. I’m afraid you might not think we’re a good match..."

"How could I?" John Lawson perked up the moment he heard she was satisfied with him. "You’re being too modest. You’re beautiful and have a wonderful personality. And to be honest with you, my mother forced me to come on this blind date. While my illness isn’t terminal, I can’t be left alone when it acts up. She’s hoping I’ll hurry up and find someone to have by my side, someone to help look after me."

"I originally didn’t have much hope for this kind of blind date setup, but after meeting you today, I’m very glad I came."

Every word of this fell on Cecilia Sterling’s ears, making her grimace.

’This John Lawson is so naive! "I’m very glad I came"!’

’When he sees the bill in a minute, he’ll probably regret not making a run for it when he went to the bathroom earlier!’

Seeing Cecilia Sterling’s expression, Saul Thorne couldn’t help but smile dotingly. He leaned down and blew a breath of air by her ear. "We’re the ones who should be glad we came here. Otherwise, we would have missed this great show."

Cecilia Sterling shot him a glare. "I’m here to save my teacher, not to watch his personal drama."

"Looks to me like you’re enjoying it quite a bit!"

The woman looked quite pleased by John Lawson’s words, then smoothly followed up, "Well, since we both have a good impression of each other, why don’t you pick a time on another day for us to go out for a walk? Once the weather warms up, we could go to the park and soak up some sun, or maybe see a movie."

"Great! I was thinking the same thing," John Lawson eagerly agreed.

After sitting for a little while longer, the woman finally called the waiter over to get the bill.

"Sir, here is your bill for today."

The waiter, knowing the drill, handed the bill directly to John Lawson. John Lawson didn’t think much of it. The two of them had only ordered four dishes and a bottle of baijiu. How expensive could it be?

Besides, he was in a great mood today. He could even accept it if it was a little over his budget.

But when he merely glanced at the total on the bill, his expression instantly froze.

How much was this? Seymour?

The bill was itemized. The woman was extremely experienced and had been very cunning with her order. The names of the dishes were long and abstract, all of them associated with expensive ingredients like "black truffle," "deer antler," and "sea cucumber."

This created the illusion that the dishes were expensive simply because the ingredients were expensive.

If you ordered a plate of hot and sour shredded potatoes and sold it at an exorbitant price, that would naturally arouse suspicion.

And then there was the bottle of baijiu. John Lawson considered himself quite knowledgeable about baijiu, but he had never even heard of this brand, and it was selling for nearly five thousand!

Before he could react, the woman had already put on her coat, stood up, and said to him, "Why don’t I get that?"

This single sentence showed just how high-level this woman’s game was!

Sure enough, John Lawson heard her and almost instinctively refused. "No, no, how could I let a lady pay? I’ll get it."

As he spoke, he had already picked up his phone. But just as he was about to scan the code to pay, Cecilia Sterling stood up, turned around, and called out, "Director Lawson!"

Her clear, crisp voice made John Lawson, the woman across from him, and the waiter all freeze for a moment.

Seeing Cecilia Sterling, John Lawson’s eyes went wide with shock. It took him a long moment to process it. "Huh? Cecilia Sterling? What are you doing here?"

He then noticed Saul Thorne with her. He remembered the young man; he was Cecilia Sterling’s boyfriend, and a police officer. He had met him once when he was hospitalized.

So, he subconsciously asked, "Out to dinner with your boyfriend?"